Food safety
Can Chickens Eat Blueberries? Yes — A Healthy Treat
Yes, chickens can eat blueberries, and most flocks race to the dish for them. University of Vermont Extension notes that, like other birds, chickens love blueberries and similar fruit, and blueberries appear on none of the extension lists of foods to keep from poultry. The catch is quantity, not safety: UF/IFAS Extension advises keeping all treats under 10% of the diet so the balanced layer feed still does its job. Here is how to serve them, how many, and what to watch for.
By Matt GarnettUpdated November 13, 20264 min read4 sources
Why blueberries are safe for chickens
Chickens are omnivores that eat grains, fruits, vegetables and insects, as University of Minnesota Extension puts it, and soft berries are close to what a foraging bird would find on its own. University of Vermont Extension says chickens love blueberries and will happily clean up fallen fruit and insect pests under berry bushes, which is why some keepers plant bushes near the run.
Just as important, blueberries do not appear on the lists of foods extension services tell keepers to avoid. UC Davis warns against avocado, raw beans, chocolate, nightshade leaves and rhubarb, and Texas A&M AgriLife adds onions, salty foods and stone-fruit pits. A ripe blueberry has no pit, no tough rind and nothing either list flags as harmful.
How to serve blueberries to your flock
Rinse fresh blueberries and pick out any that are soft, split or fuzzy with mold. Texas A&M warns that moldy and spoiled food can make chickens sick, and that includes a forgotten pint at the back of the fridge. Whole berries are fine for adult hens, so there is no need to cut them up.
Scatter them on the ground or drop them into a shallow dish after the birds have eaten their main feed, so the treat tops up the ration rather than replacing it. Frozen plain berries are a nice change on hot days. Skip blueberry muffins, pie filling, yogurt-coated berries and sweetened dried blueberries, which add sugar and fat that chickens do not need.
Treats go further scattered in a chicken run than piled in a dish, and a proper feeder keeps their complete feed, which should be most of what they eat, clean and dry.
How many blueberries per chicken
University of Minnesota Extension estimates that a 6-pound hen eats roughly 3 pounds of feed a week. Ten percent of that is about a third of a pound of treats a week, or roughly two-thirds of an ounce a day, and that allowance covers everything extra combined, not only fruit.
In practice that is a small handful of blueberries per hen a few times a week, with other treats, or none, on the remaining days. Bantams eat far less feed, so give them proportionally fewer. If your hens start leaving their feed untouched or egg production drops off, cut back on treats before anything else.
Blueberries and chicks
Young chicks have different needs from laying hens. UC Davis recommends a chick starter of about 20% protein for the first six weeks, and UF/IFAS Extension notes that baby chicks need a higher-protein starter to support their growth. Fruit dilutes that protein, so the brooder is not the place for a bowl of berries.
If you want to offer a taste, wait until chicks are a few weeks old and eating their starter well, then mash or halve one or two berries. Make sure chick grit is available: UC Davis explains that birds eating anything beyond a pelleted feed need grit to grind food in the gizzard, since chickens have no teeth.
Signs a treat disagreed with them, and when to call a vet
Blueberries rarely cause trouble, but a sudden glut of any juicy fruit can loosen droppings for a day. That usually settles once treats are cut back. Droppings that stay watery, or that contain blood or mucus, are a different matter: UC Davis lists mucoid or bloody diarrhea among the signs of coccidiosis, a common gut parasite in young birds, so get them checked by a vet.
Texas A&M AgriLife describes a sick chicken as one that holds its head low, looks fluffed out, is lethargic, has no appetite, loses weight or limps. Any hen showing those signs, or one that suddenly stops eating, should be seen by a vet who treats poultry the same day, whatever she last ate.
Other treats your hens will enjoy
Blueberries pair well with other low-risk extras. University of Minnesota Extension notes that chickens love fruit and vegetable scraps from the kitchen and garden, and Washington State University master gardeners suggest offering greens such as lettuce or cabbage in winter when there is little to forage. Strawberries, watermelon and cucumber are popular summer swaps.
Keep the avoid list in mind as you vary treats: no avocado, chocolate, raw or dried beans, green potato parts, tomato or pepper leaves, rhubarb, onions, salty leftovers or stone-fruit pits. Rotate what you offer, keep every extra under the 10% line, and let the layer feed carry the real nutrition.
This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace advice from a veterinarian who treats poultry.
Common questions
Can chickens eat frozen blueberries?
Yes. Frozen plain blueberries are a popular hot-weather treat and many flocks enjoy chasing them around the run. Use unsweetened berries only, count them toward the 10% treat share, and let them thaw a little for bantams or young birds.
Can chickens eat blueberries every day?
A few blueberries a day is fine as long as all treats together stay under about 10% of the diet, the guideline UF/IFAS Extension and Texas A&M AgriLife give. Daily treats should never take the place of layer feed.
Can baby chicks eat blueberries?
Wait until chicks are a few weeks old and eating their starter well. Then offer one or two mashed or halved berries with chick grit available, and keep the high-protein starter feed as nearly all of the diet.
Will chickens eat the blueberries off my bushes?
Very likely. University of Vermont Extension notes that chickens love blueberries and will eye up ripening berries on the bush, so net any bushes you want to harvest, or let the flock clean up fallen fruit after picking.
Are moldy blueberries bad for chickens?
Yes. Texas A&M AgriLife warns that moldy and spoiled food can make chickens sick, so throw out any berries that are fuzzy, leaking or smell fermented rather than adding them to the scrap bucket for the flock.
Sources we checked
This guide is general information, not veterinary advice. If your pet is unwell or injured, contact your veterinarian.
